Automatic catcher for tin plate



May 9, 1939. D. BUCCICONE ET AL AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR TIN PLATE Filed May 18, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Qflfi/O BUCC/CO/VE ma 7 E0004 P24 6 2/0. 4

FE/VO il-lli May 9, 1939. o. BUCCICONE ET AL AUTOMATIC CATCHE IR FOR TIN PLATE Filed May 18, 1958 May 9, 1939.

D. BUCCVZICONE ET AL AUTOMATIC GATCHER FOR TIN PLATE Filed May 18, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 17206721075: 049/0 5UCC/CO/V5 400 EUDQLPH 4 FE/VOCiL/O.

D. BUCCICONE ET AL ,157,228

I AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR TIN PLATE May 9, 1939.

Fil ed May 18. 1958 4 Sheets-Sheef 4 I! 1IIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Patented May 9, 1939 AUTOMATIC CATCHER FOR TIN PLATE and Rudolph A. Fenoglio,

I Dario Buccicone Gary, Ind.

I Application May is, was, Serial No. waste 5 Claims.

This invention relates to means for handling sheet or plate-like material, sometimes referred to as catching and piling mechanism. While not limited thereto, the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated is well suited for receiving tin plate from a shearing device and piling it at a station from which it will be subsequently removed for bundling and shipment.

The invention further relates to certain specific features of construction and combinations of interrelated instrumentalities, so arranged that traveling plate-like material is sverselff bowed between its side edges ti bling of long. flexible, norm iy unstable, sheets while they are being piled. Other features relate to such instrumentalities in cooperative association with mechanism effective to minimize the vertical distance through which the plates or sheets are dropped just prior to piling. For a more complete disclosure of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a certain conveying and bowing mechanism em bodying the invention; c Figure 2 is a diagrammatic transverse section on line 11-11 .of Figure 1 showing the condition of a plate or sheet at about the time the bowing operation "starts; q i t Figure 3 isa section on line III-III of Figure 1 showing a sheet bowed transversely by the mechanism;

-' Figure l is a plan of the complete machine, embodying. various features of the invention;

Figure 5 is a side elevation thereof; and Figure 6 is an endelevationas viewed from the left of Figure 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral IU represents generally a mobile base,car-. 1

ried on suitable supporting wheels ll. of any conventional form. This. base carries a plurality, of uprights l2 forming vertical guides for a, plurality of rods I3 which jointly support a framework l4 adaptedlto be raised automatically as thesheets piled by the mechanism accumulate.

The frame-work l'4- carries suitable bearings for supporting parallel shafts l5 and IS, the

former being located at what will be termed herein the receiving end of the machine, and the latter being located adjacent the delivery end thereof. The shaft l5 at the receiving end carries a plurality of transversely spaced, grooved pulleys l1 and H of substantially uniform diameters. The shaft H5, at the delivery end, carries a pair of (C11. err-es) outer grooved pulleys It of relatively large diameter and an intermediate pulley l9 of relatively smaller diameter.

Trained around the pulleys l1 and lt'there are parallel belts 2!! which are adapted to support the sheets or plates P adjacent their side edges. Trained around the intermediate pulleys Hi and ill there'is an intermediate beltfll. The pulley it is mounted with freedom to turn on the shaft it between collars, as shown, so as tocompensate for the differential diameters of pulleys on the same shaft and thus prevent undue slippage between the belts and pulleys.

A shaft 22, mounted in adjustable bearings supported by the upper frame-work, carries a centrally located pulley it. Arms 24, swingable about the axis of the shaft 22, support a pulley it. A pressure belt it is trained around the pulleys 23 and 25,.and, in coactionwith the other belts 2d and 2 l, serves to gradually or progressively bow the sheet transversely while feeding it from the receiving end of the mechanism toward the delivery end thereof. Such progressive bowing of the sheet transversely'will be apparent by com parison of Figures 21and3. The sheet is in a substantially flat or straight condition'when' it is received by the conveyer, and at the instant it is subjected to the coaction of the lower belts 2 l]-2il and 2i and the upper pressure belt 26, it is flexed downwardly along its longitudinal medial line; this downward or .flexing action increases 'progressivelyastheisheet approaches the region I between the shaftsjlfi anon; Thus the sheet is transversely dishedas it is fed out,'andoverhangs the discharge endof the conveyor This servestostiffen the unsupported end thereof and facilitates the properfeeding and pilingof long sheets of relatively thin, flexible metal or like material. p p v p v The sheets discharged by'the'belts are accumulated at a receiving station which may-take the form of a platform or table 21. End stops-28 are provided which arrestthe forward travel; of each sheet, and side guides 29 -49 serve to confine, ,pile an'd guide the side edges of the sheets as they, fall into position on the pile; 'The end stops 28 and side guides 29 are supported by'respective carriages 29 slidably mounted on a cross member 29 the stops 28 being secured to rods 3| telescoping into bearings 32 carried by extensions 33 forming parts of the respective carriages.

. The belts 20--2ll and 2| are maintained in a relatively taut condition by means of a slack takeup device including pulleys 34 carried by a crossshaft 35 mounted in pivotably supported arms 36 which are urged downwardly by a suitable weight 31.

In order to minimize the vertical fall or drop of the plates or sheets as they are discharged from the feeding belts to the receiving station,- means are provided which are synchronized with the feeding of the sheets so as to automatically and gradually elevate the conveyer mechanism. These means include a crank-pin 38 which is eccentrically adjustable in a disk 39 carried on a shaft 40 which carries a gear 4| arranged to be driven by a pinion 42 secured to the pulley-cary ns' shaft IS.

A pitman 43 transmits the movement of the crank-pin 38 to a rocker arm 44 carrying a pawl 45 which coacts with a ratchet-wheel 46 secured to a shaft 41 carrying a worm 48 which meshes with a worm-gear 49 secured to a shaft 50 which carries a pinion meshing with rack-teeth 52 formed on certain of the rods l3. This wormdriven rack and pinion is arranged ,in duplicate at opposite sides of the machine, as will be apparent from Figures 4 and 6.

The metal plates or sheets handled by the feeding and stacking device are adapted to be received, for example, from any suitable conveyer mechanism, such a conveyer being diagrammatically indicated at 53, which may be assumed to be a belt or chain conveyer carrying the plates either directly from the tin pot or from a shear. The mechanism described may be driven from any suitable prime mover. illustrated, the main drive is transmitted through a gear 54 which is adapted to be driven from a conventional form of strip or plate shear, not

shown.

From the detailed description and examination of the drawings it is apparent that the mechanism described is of simple design, yet quite eifectlve to continuously feed successive sheets from the receiving toward the delivery end of the catcher and to gradually bow them transversely prior to stacking. As the pile of plates or sheets accu mulates, the feeding mechanism will be bodily adjusted vertically so as to minimize the vertical distance through which the same will fall. Upon accumulation of a stack of sheets of the desired height, the end stops and side guides can be readily moved out of the way so as-to give access to the pile, which can be removed as a unit by any suitable means, such as overhead tackle or hand truck.

While we have described quite precisely certain specific features of the embodiment of the invention illustrated, it is to be understood that various modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An automatic catcher and piling mechanism comprising a plurality of belt-like members trained around spaced pulleys, at least one of which is of'a diameter smaller than the others, an intermediate belt-like member trained over spaced pulleys, one of which is juxtaposed to the aforesaid smaller pulley so that as a sheet supported near its side edges by a pair of said mem- In the embodiment bers is fed forwardly it will be bowed transverse by the intermediate belt-like member.

2. An automatic catcher and piling mechanism comprising a substantially parallel pair of endless belts trained around respective pulleys, an intermediate belt trained around intermediate pulleys, one of the intermediate pulleys being of smaller diameter than the pulleys for the first mentioned belts, and a traveling member effective to gradually bow transversely a sheet supported jointly by said belts.

3. An automatic catcher and piling mechanism comprising a vertically adjustable frame-work, a shaft at the receiving end thereof carrying a plurality of pulleys of substantially equal diameters,

a second shaft 2 the delivery end of the framework carrying outer pulleys of relatively large diameters and an inner pulley of relatively small diameter, respective belts trained over the pulleys at the receiving and delivery ends of said framework, an intermediate sheet-pressing means arranged for coaction with the belt traveling around the aforesaid pulley of small diameterand effective to transversely how a sheet jointly supported by the aforesaid belts.

4. An automatic catcher and piling mechanism comprising a vertically adjustable frame-work, a shaft at the receiving end thereof carrying a plurality of pulleys of substantially equal diameters, a second shaft at the delivery end of the framework carrying outer pulleys of relatively large diameters and an inner pulley of relatively small diameter, respective belts trained over the pulleys at the receiving and delivery ends of said framework, an intermediate sheet-pressing means arranged for coaction with the belt traveling around the aforesaid pulley of small diameter and effective to transversely bow a sheet jointly supported by the aforesaid belts, a sheet-receiving platform, a means operatively connected with one of the aforesaid pulleys forimparting a vertical movement to said frame-work so as to control the vertical distance through which the sheets drop as they are accumulated at said platform.

5. An automatic catcher and piling mechanism comprising a mobile support, a frame-work vertically adjustable thereon, spaced shafts carried at the receiving and delivery ends of the said frame-work, the shaft at the receiving end of of small diameter, the other pressure pulley being i so supported that its periphery is Substantially tangent to the belt trained around said pulley of small diameter, the arrangement being such that a sheet carried toward the delivery end of the frame-work by said first three belts is progressively bowed downwardly by the pressure belt as it approaches the delivery end of the mechanism.

DARIO BUCCIC ONE. 'RUDOLPH A. FENOGLIO. 

